Russia has sent 75 vehicles to Syria to aid in the transport of chemical weapons and toxins that will be destroyed under an international agreement.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu wrote in a report to President Vladimir Putin on December 23 that 25 armored KamAZ trucks and 50 armored Urals had been flown to Syria.

Shoigu said the trucks were sent to the Syrian port city of Latakia between December 18 and 20. He said other unspecified equipment was also sent.

Russia has a naval base at Tartus, about 50 kilometers from Latakia.

Syria agreed in September to turn over its chemical-arms stockpiles for destruction under a UN Security Council resolution after a chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of civilians in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta.